All the shades of Gray
by Vicks111
Summary: Oneshots with several Geass characters. In this world full of lies, colors are subjective to one's perception. Ch 2: The world will always be right and you will always be wrong. But then again, as long as you are happy, it does not matter.
1. The Rebellion of Milly

**Disclaimer: Code Geass and characters belong to Sunrise and not to me. That won't change any time soon, so the disclaimer works for all the chapters, ok?? XD**

_Welcome dear reader! Here you will find several oneshots from Code Geass from several characters. I figured it would be easier than just posting one story per oneshot, which would only spam the CG section. Needless to say there WILL be spoilers for the entire series, so you are warned._

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_**The Rebellion of Milly**_

_by Vicks111**  
**_

**********Pairing(s)/Character(s):** _It was a hard competition, but MillyxLelouch won against LelouchxMilly XD_******  
****Rating/Warning(s):** _none, unless you haven't seen at least half of season one. And even then, they are not really important spoilers. _******  
****Author's Notes:**_I've taken some small liberties on Milly and Lulu, mostly because I was having trouble setting a background for the story. And in an introspective story at that. I also tried a joke, since we can't have them interacting in a completely serious environment._******_  
_****Summary: **_One cannot always be what is expected of them. She never acted as was expected but she always played the part they expected of her. _******_  
_**

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She was a rebel. She couldn't just stand to be told what to do; thus she rebelled, even for the smallest thing. And she always wanted him. From the moment she saw him, she knew, _she knew _he would be hers. When she asked her mother if this was a new present for her, she just laughed at the silliness of a child. She then made it very clear that the boy was not hers, and would _never be hers._ She was thinking about her eventual marriage with someone of high status, of course, and the boy who was no longer a prince would not do, not anymore. She tried to explain the decision of an adult to a child, and thus she failed to make her point. She didn't care for that choice, back then, and decided that she wanted the boy with amethyst eyes, even if it was just to spite her mother and prove her wrong.

Soon enough, she realized the difficultness of such a task. The boy had no eyes for anyone who was not his little sister. He spoke just when he deemed it necessary, and never to her. He would stalk around the house, scowling at everything and everyone. Oh so very proud he was, the little prince, and that made her like him more. However, if she was to succeed in her plan, some dire actions were needed.

One day, when he slept in late, she took the little sister out to play in the garden. The boy needed to learn that when in her home, what she said was rule. The girls played all morning, and when he finally found them, the littlest one would only smile at him, telling how much fun they both had. Nunnally didn't know, but the boy would only smile at her. That was the first time she saw his smile, and decided that she liked it.

After taking the littlest one inside, he approached her, and introduced himself as Lelouch. She figured that was his way of saying 'thanks'. He would let her be with them after that, but it soon got boring. He was just so serious, and the little girl couldn't do a thing unless 'nii-san' approved. She was starting to wonder why such a dull boy had caught her attention in the first place.

Another day, she was sitting quietly in the manor's library reading. The peace and quiet all around her could only be achieved after a great mischief had been done. She relished the feeling for a few moments before hearing the incessant ramblings of her father coming her way. Slowly, she placed the book on the nearest desk and hurriedly made a run for it.

The door flew open as she ran past her father, and up the stairs to hide; this was their own little version of hide and seek. He yelled and ran after her, as Lelouch went out of his room to see what all the noise was about. "Millicent," the man commanded, "you better come here this instant and explain to me why there is a huge ink stain in my cherry wood desk!" He said that as she was passing by the boy's door, and she almost tripped when she heard him stifle a laugh.

Turning around, Milly looked at him surprised and he couldn't help it anymore. Lelouch had started laughing, hard, grabbing his stomach. Even her father stopped at the sight of the young prince laughing so much. She asked what in all Britannia could be so funny, and he sobered up immediately. "Your name," the boy replied seriously and cracked up again. The boy who had a sister named Cornelia and another named Euphemia dared to laugh at _her_ name. Her father was trying hard, _very hard_, not to laugh too. As pretty as the sight of him laughing like that was, she would not have it any other way but hers, "he did it father! He was the one playing with the fountain pen!!"

It didn't matter whether he believed her or not, he was just too angry to care. He started screaming, "That desk is over a hundred years old! Your grandfather got it as a present from the Prime Minister!!" She'd never seen the boy with such a scared look on his face, and neither stuttering for that matter. If he was actually scared of her father, or scared for the sacrilege that had been done to the desk, she never knew. Grabbing his hand, she pulled him as she ran away from her father's punishment. She practically dragged him all the way to her secret hideout. They spent the rest of the day there, laughing and joking around. She was grounded afterwards for a month, but it didn't matter because he had given her something in return: his laugh. That's when she decided she loved his laugh.

His sister had his smile, but she was the only one that could make him laugh. Nunnally would give him strength to move on, but she could give him some happiness. Those little moments where he could forget all about plots against them and hurt feelings, those she would give to him for as long as she could; all because she _loved_ to make him laugh.

They became best friends. He would talk to her about anything, and she would tease him. He would call her 'Millicent' and she would retaliate by calling him 'Lulu'. He was her accomplice, helping her scare off her suitors with elaborate plans that would entertain her and embarrass them, using Clovisland as a cover.

She was his confidant, the only one that he trusted enough to tell her what he was feeling. That which he wouldn't tell Nunally and that weighted him more day after day. He never spoke off his family, but his sister or on some rare occasion, the Empress. She knew him more than anyone else, and she knew the fallen prince was not one to stay down. She knew that calculating mind of his would one day make a move towards retaliation. And she wondered if he would ever tell her about it.

She asked him once, hypothetically, what he would do if he were still a crown prince. That was the only time they ever talked about the royal family. He said that if he had continued that life, he probably would have defied his older brothers just to stand out. They were everything he was not and better than him; kinder, smarter, more skillful and agile. As the Emperor had once said, in comparison to his older brothers, he would have been dead.

"In other words," she said with a smirk, "you would have rebelled against the Emperor"

He blinked at the use of the word, but laughed at the remark, "not really; defying the Emperor is not the same as rebelling. And there are no rebellions without a cause."

"Then I guess I am not a rebel," she added as an afterthought. He stared at her for a few moments before turning his look away, "You'll become a rebel the day you are ready to lose to those you stand against. When that moment comes, when you have nothing else to lose but hope, you'll find the strength to make a stand and rebel."

"And you? Will you be ready to do so?" The glint in his eyes was dangerous and amused he replied, "I already lost once, remember?"

That's when she realized _why _she liked him. After so long, she finally understood why he caught her attention in the beginning; he was a rebel. The outcast prince, even after everything that had happened to him, was still proud and willful. He knew what he wanted and he was determined to go after it. In this world of inevitable consequences, he was strong enough to change his own destiny.

And he was everything she was not; everything she wanted to be. She was not a rebel and she had never been one. Stubborn she was, but she wasn't ready to lose against her parents. She wasn't ready to stand against them and lose them forever. She wasn't strong enough to change her inevitable destiny and by marrying someone, he would never be hers.

That's why when Zero appeared all over the news, he became her idol. There he was, defying Britannia and making a stand against the Viceroy and the Sub-Viceroy. With just a few brave souls who called themselves 'Knights'. He was making the impossible happen just by the power of his will. He was changing the destiny of many people.

That's when she decided that if she were to be of someone, that someone would be him. Lelouch had her heart already and Zero could grant her wish. He was strong enough for the two of them, and he was rebelling for them both. She would delay for as long she could her marriage, to give him enough time to make her wish come true.

For him, she would do _anything_, even if that meant changing herself enough to rebel.

* * *

_Every time I hear the name 'Milly' I think Millicent. Her name probably isn't so, but it's funny to think so. The Clovisland thing is from Sayoko's Diary, however since I've only read the reference, I am making a guess of Lulu helping, though we all know she doesn't need of him for embarrasing anyone. I am not well versed on the history of Lulu with the Ashfords, so you'll excuse me if I missed something or something was too unbelievable. This story was hard XO_

_ There may be a continuation for this one, eventually...maybe. For the last episodes. Remember to review!  
_


	2. Supreme

**Rating/Warning(s):** Is Suzaku a warning? well, I guess. Some things that did not happen too, but it's mostly cannon XD

**Pairing(s)/Character(s):** Kaguya, pretty much everyone close to Kaguya is in there too. And some characters out of the blue, just for the heck of it. Hints at a certain threesome, fireheads not included.

_**Summary: **It matters not what you know to be true or not, nor what you believe, it seems. The world will always be right and you will always be wrong. But then again, as long as you are happy, it does not matter whether you are a wronged Goddess or a rightful Demon. __  
_

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**Supreme**

_By Vicks111_

They thought she was crazy. Well, not really, just spoiled and childish, holding onto an immature dream of an unreal man. Kirihara-san, specially, "You'll have to let go of your selfishness, you won't meet Zero. We won't allow it."

She liked to think of herself not as an optimist, but rather a realist with a great amount of luck. Not for nothing was she called the 'Goddess of Victory.'

And there's no greater power that one's will. She was a goddess, indeed.

Always respect was shown, treated like a princess she was, but none of these people who treated her so were remotely close to her. When she was at the Kururugi shrine, at least, she was called by her name. After that, she was always 'Sumeragi-sama' and 'Kaguya-hime'. Except for Kirihara-san, but he altogether is another story.

oOo

"_You know, Kaguya-chan," the little blind girl liked to call her by given name, and while she had the grace to put up with it, who did she really think she was? Sumeragi-san was the appropriate way, and even a Sumeragi-chan she would have agreed to. But this… "I'm going to marry onii-sama one day. Are you going to marry Suzaku?"_

…_well, now she knew the girl was selectively choosing not to address her like she should, "What? No! Suzaku will be a terrible husband. Not only is he rude, and uncaring, but he also likes to order people around. No, if I marry someone, it would be someone like your brother."_

"_Oi, Kaguya!"_

"_Not you too. I have enough competition as it is with Euphie-neesama."_

"_Oh, don't worry, I am not above sharing."_

"_Oi, stop it Kaguya!" Suzaku had arrived and yanked her away from Nunnally before she had the chance to ask how she would propose to share her brother._

oOo

She was not deluded. She knew very well who that boy with the cold amethyst eyes really was. She also knew that, if anything, they would end up betrothed now that he was 'cared' by the Kururugis.

What they did not know, and never would, was that if she had a choice, she would have chosen him anyway. A boy that could stand up to Suzaku-kun would be great, indeed.

Besides, if anything, she believed in Fate. A star had guided him here, and a star would guide him always, the Gods said. She liked to talk to them, and they always listened. She never needed anyone else. They never asked for anything, and on her side, she never did; an unspoken pact to remain silent to remain friends.

oOo

"_Why?"_

_Calligraphy lay forgotten as she stared at the small girl on a wheelchair. The broken question hung up, until she decided to explain, "why onii-sama?"_

"_Why not, "she replied, "he's here and he's not Suzaku."_

"_Why would you have to marry Suzaku?"_

_She had to laugh at that. The girl who said would marry her brother was asking her why she would marry her cousin. Always strong, always in power, and the best way to keep the name strong. _

"_Well, I'll have to marry someone one day. And between the two, I'd rather marry Lelouch."_

"_But you don't love him!" Nunnally rebuked, like it was a sin._

"_No, certainly, but it's the most convenient for me. I am a modern woman and the most important thing in a marriage is the partnership."_

_Nunnally did not quite get what the other said before someone pulled her chair away hastily. There was only one person who did that, "Suzaku-kun, where are we going?"_

_The boy rather did not answer, as he glared at his cousin and she smiled, triumphantly. _

oOo

She liked C.C. Calm, sublime C.C who would face problems with an untroubled face. Strong C.C who looked after the Black Knights once Zero disappeared, brilliant C.C who rescued him.

They would talk, when she called from China, and she always sounded amused on the phone. C.C ended up laughing, always near the end of their talk, and she would always ask. "You remind me of someone, sometimes" was all she said, because she was C.C.

Kaguya liked to think of C.C as an ally. Kaguya liked to think of the two of them as kindred spirits. She also knew very well that it was not anyone, the person that could befriend her.

She liked C.C a rather lot.

oOo

_She approached surely, steadily and not intimidated at all, even if she had never spoken to another child in her life, not other than Suzaku-kun. She wondered what boys did for fun, and girls too, in the world outside of the temple. She also wondered whether they could find something in common to talk about._

_He didn't look the kind to like painting or calligraphy._

_But then, he always looked thoughtful, again, not something common on Suzaku-kun. Maybe that is why she approached him, on one of the few times he was alone (she was not scared, really)._

"_Hello"_

_He looked at her, those shining eyes strong and cold, but nodded in response. She had no idea what he was doing here all alone, but she also had no idea what he was like. She did know that he never left his sister alone. _

"_Is my cousin giving you a hard time?" _

_Now he looked back, interested and with a frown. She would have backed away, and yet, she stayed there. That sometimes happened, too, like with the voices. _

_Looking back to the mountains in the horizon, he shrugged, "He is not the worse in here."_

"_But I know he yelled," She pushed forward, something changing, "and he also tried to make you leave –"_

"_He is not the worse one in here." So he was stubborn. _

"_And yet, you are here, and he is back there in that awful room."She smiled cheekily as he flushed and lost his temper, "I can handle him! I can beat him!!"_

_Ah, so this was about losing. In her tender 7 years, Kaguya then discovered one of the most vital weaknesses of men. She shrugged as she headed back to the temple, "So, you don't want help?"_

"_I don't need help." He turned and started picking stones. _

_She would remember that day as the day she became Herself. He never knew how Suzaku-kun had abandoned the 'fort'. Well, he did not leave for something as silly as spiders. Definitely._

oOo

It was hard for anyone not to notice her, and it was definitely hard for anyone not to pay attention to her. When she spoke, usually, men and women alike would shush and hear her. So when Zero plaintively avoided her and went into battle, she was the more enchanted by him. It was weird, yes, but there are some things even Gods cannot explain.

She prayed for him every day after he disappeared, asking for the first time in her life, that he'd be safe. They were the first ones to break the pact, afterall. And that is how C.C found her that day. The day they became friends.

oOo

"_You are bored"_

_Breaking the silence, Kaguya approached that boy that lived at the shrine. It was a rare occurrence to find him like that, nowadays, not without Suzaku or his little sister. He looked up to acknowledge her presence, but did not stop from picking up flowers. _

"_Won't you play a game?"_

_He continued picking flowers._

"_And your sister?"_

_He moved on to the suflowers._

"_How come Suzaku-kun is not here?"_

_Again, the flowers. Had Kaguya been other than herself, she would have probably thrown a fit or walk away and ignore him too. Instead, she looked around and tried to guess which flower he would pick up next. She started picking the forget-me-nots nearby and by the time he had the sunflowers he wanted, there were no more pretty forget-me-nots._

"_I was picking those for Nunnally"_

_She danced around, her bouquet quite sizeable and blue contrasted against all the beautiful green and yellow around them. "I was picking these for myself," she answered back._

"_I want__** those**__, she likes making flower crowns with them." His hand moved to grab them from her, but she dodged just when he was about to reach. "I'll give them to you, if we play a game."_

_His face scrutinized her from head to toe, but she did not flinch. It did not occur to her what game they could play until he had accepted. Not only that, but she knew very few games, most of them only seen after the two stranded kids came by the temple. The words were out of her mouth before she thought much about it, "How about chess?"_

_Now she seemed to have his attention. Why was he looking at her like that?_

"_Oh, I forgot, you must not like chess. I never quite got Suzaku-kun interested in it."_

_It was always the grown-ups the ones who played with her. Or rather, she was always the one to play with the grown-ups. But in her small world of Gods and men, chess was the one game they all could relate to. It surprised her when he spoke, "I won't go easy on you."_

_The pleased smile on her face made him look away, uncomfortable. She managed to put him once on check, before he beat her in five more turns. Every now and then, he would look for her to play and she never managed to beat him. But, she once got a draw from him, and that on itself, was a feat. _

oOo

It had been more than the saving of Private Kururugi Suzaku and that is what they never understood. Zero had given her the freedom she sought, if only for one small thing, but just enough to be happy.

She had been seeing the Governor of Area 11 for the last six months now. Selfish, conceited and not quite brilliant, a rather regular man on all fronts but appearance. He was barely more than ordinary, a decent yet not great Governor and a man that would blend in the ordinary if not for his eccentricities.

She had to admit of having fun, the times she spent with him, but fun was not enough for such a commitment as marriage. Kirihara-san was vehement that the best way to fight for the liberation of Japan was from the inside, and by marrying the third prince of the Britannian Empire, becoming Empress was also a high probability.

But if there was someone more selfish than Clovis, then that man was Taizō Kirihara.

The day prior Clovis's death, she had visited the Governor's palace. She was taken to the penthouse on top, a gorgeous house that stood in contrast to the rest of the somewhat languid vicinity.

"Well, I have always thought a man's home to be one's reflection," the prince commented proudly, attempting to take her hand. She smoothly dejected him, of course, because arranged it may be, but certainly not easy.

"Then what does this resemble?" Clovis blinked, clearly taken off-guard by her question. He fidgeted with his cravat, looking at any other way but hers, "umm, it actually, well…"

Lost at words she did not know, he walked past her, uncourteously giving his back to her. "It resembles the Aries Villa back at the Capital." And then, to her, he seemed different; unsure, quiet and vulnerable, his proud mask slipping down. Maybe the man was not that bad.

"Aries Villa," she repeated, her tone asking the obvious the question without the necessary words. The way he answered her question would be the interesting one.

"Yes, the Emperor's preferred home other than Pendragon Palace. Well, it used to be, once upon a time." He was now fixing his gloves, pulling gloved fingertips one by one, and then pulling them down tightly.

And she would not ask more, because it would be more than rude. She took his left hand from his fidgeting right and led him inside. He would then show her his paintings and works, projects for promoting Area 11 by making it a tourist attraction and a few long-term plans for renewing the Tokyo Settlement. She was puzzled and interested, and he was humble despite the fact that he really was showing up trying to impress her.

She would recognize that boy and girl and praise the beauty of the late Empress in paintings, but she would come to despise that name she carried and her face, that one which led Britannia to its world conquest. She would not pity the fate of those children more than she pitied the fate of her own cousin. She would simply nod gracefully at the prince and go back to what she knew in Kyoto.

When the news of the prince's death arrived, she would not show her happiness to the others, even if some of them were glad themselves. She would later pray for that man's soul and those who had died unfairly that cursed day.

But she would not mourn.

oOo

_She brought pizza that night, knowing well that Zero would not eat anything with her around. They had been working hard night and day in the United Federation of Nations regulations and all the legal procedures that it entailed. Tohdoh-san and the others were working hard with the Chinese Federation, but when it came to the actual planning, Kaguya was the only one Zero called for help. She was the only one he entrusted with such a task._

_They discussed from legal repercussions to utopian discrepancies to the meanings of colors. C.C would eat quietly, adding snide comments directed to Zero every now and then, but otherwise unhelpful and uncaring. When the job got to them, they would discuss Plato and Dante, and while Zero plaintively said that he would end up in the Eight Circle of hell, Kaguya would strongly deny so. _

"_I would never let your soul be lost in hell, Zero-sama"_

"_And you would see me from your seat next to God himself, Kaguya-hime and move to save my wretched soul from those depths? Would you lose your seat next to Him? I really doubt it."_

"_The Gods love all the mortal souls. An eternity in Hell would not befit the savior of Japan, the man that is not a God and yet can create miracles."_

"_I have always been beyond redemption, Kaguya-hime, just by inherited karma alone."_

_C.C would later remark that she would rather be stuck in purgatory for eternity than to hear them discuss pointless semantics over who would save who. She would also remark that purgatory would be kinder than this life. But Kaguya did not understand her then._

_That should have been her second clue. _

oOo

There were very few things in this life that could surprise her. The first one had been Zero himself, but the second one had been Jeremiah Gottwald. That she would find him, the disgraced margrave under his Highness Clovis in the Ikaruga was as unlikely as making a paper crane fly on itself. He looked different, certainly, and all those hardships he must have endured after the disgrace by Zero were plain to the eye.

She would ask him to her private chambers for a nice and peaceful talk over tea. Serving him first and hers later, she would make note that the tea was a present of the Tianzi and was the finest from China. He would only stare quietly as she spoke, and the moment she put down the teapot, she looked up harshly. "What are your intentions here,_ margrave_?"

His grin was cynical as he took the offered cup and drank it all in one sip. He would then place the cup exactly where it had been before. Kaguya was impressed by the act alone, "A wiser man would have waited until his enemy drank the tea to assure it not being poisoned."

"Wiser perhaps, but if it indeed had been poisoned, I would have made sure you would not live long enough to see me fall from it, Sumeragi _Kaguya-hime_." Her calculating smile matched his sardonic grin as they would confer about his intentions and her own concerns about him for a long time after the tea had gone cold. After all, she had to look after Zero.

"I follow my master, and not this order and neither what it represents. You can rest assured that the Black Knights are of no concern to me whatsoever."

"You expect me to believe your loyalty to the man who destroyed your status in Britannia? My beautiful face must have deceived you from believing I have no brains to match. Zero-sama may trust you, now, but you will have to prove yourself to me, _his _future wife, to earn my respect and standing in the Order."

Jeremiah stood, bowing to the sitting lady in front of him, "My lady, you are indeed the perfect match for my Lord Zero. Brave, intelligent and beautiful, you remind me of someone I have always admired. As far as I am concerned, I shall be your knight as I am Zero-sama's. I will earn your respect and trust for you alone, and never mind the rest of the world."

oOo

_It had been a year since she saw him last, at the Black Rebellion, and she jumped moment she did. He caught her and embraced her before setting her down kindly. He always surprised them like that, and the tone of his voice seemed pleased to see them. _

_When he retired to his chambers, with C.C right next to him, she disposed herself to making all the arrangements necessary for his comfort onboard. She had recompiled from C.C every little thing he liked and disliked; how he liked his coffee and at what temperature his suit was to be ironed. She left Tamaki-san to bring them the tea she had brought from China and headed towards his chambers. _

_She knocked and heard some ruffle from the inside. Giggling, she said loud enough for them to hear through the door, "I do not mind if you are indecent!" _

_C.C's "Ha!" laugh was heard as Zero himself opened the door and let her in. He sat at the couch, arranging the chess pieces on the table. When Tamaki-san arrived with the tea, he would babble on some about his uncertain position and actual job, but Kaguya kindly reminded him that it would be solved. She forgot to add that part where she said it would be solved eventually. _

_C.C laid sprawled in the bed, wearing nothing but her cheese-kun. She just stared as Kaguya drank some tea, and Zero started playing chess with her. In retrospect, she should have seen that as the first clue._

"_I won't go easy on you, Kaguya-hime."_

oOo

"Daughter of Amaterasu" they called in a dream, and they were the only ones that kept her sane despite everything. She lost her family, she lost everything she knew and she was stranded alone with men she knew but as her protectors and not more. They had taken her away from Suzaku-kun, the only she quite allowed to protect her. And he had left her too, just for those two children that were not helped by Kirihara-san out of spite.

"We have a request from you," she listened attentively, not believing the words of those that had promised never to ask for a thing. "You must liberate Japan from the chains of deceit and force that has her down."

"But…I am just a girl," _I am alone here, I cannot…_

"The seed that was planted a couple years ago will bloom, and you will find the necessary strength to lead. Liberate Japan and free the world, daughter of the gods."

"I couldn't possibly do something like that, I cannot do miracles," _I am alone, they left me with nothing but my name…_

"You underestimate your own strength and power. Grow and understand, and once you have done our bidding, we shall speak to you again."

"What shall you give me in return?" _please no, don't say that, don't…_

"Your wish shall be granted then, once everything turns out the way we want it to."

"My wish," she repeated, "that is a very cruel thing to say as the last thing you will say to me." _Forced, again, chained..._

But they were gone and she could tell. She wanted to cry, to scream, or do _anything_ to feel better. But she did not; she could only listen to the deafening silence around her.

_She was truly alone now. They were really cruel. _

oOo

_As the U.F.N declared war against Britannia, and the Black Knights prepared themselves for the second battle for Tokyo, Kaguya simply stared as Zero managed the last details before leaving. _

"_As the Supreme Council Chairwoman, you have even more power than me. I have to abide by the Federation's rules and the Chairwoman's decisions…" Zero trailed off as he noticed Kaguya quite silent, completely unlike her. His gloved hand moved to hers, and startled, he saw two tears drop rapidly as she blinked._

"_Kaguya-hime?"_

"_I was just…this is the second time, Zero-sama. I thought last time, we would get Japan back. But then, we were just grasping at straws, and now we have international support. Man-force from China, technical advances from India, and," she looked up at him, "it might just happen. We finally might free Japan, and I am scared."_

"_Scared?"_

"_Nevermind, these are my own ghosts," she wiped the tears away, "anyways, where's C.C?"_

"_Ahh, somewhere, I suppose," Zero quickly took his hand away from hers and fidgeted where he sat. She had seen very few displays of emotion from him and they always made her worry. But she would not ask him and make it worse; he would tell her when he is ready to do so. He always told her his plans in detail, afterall._

"_Tell me, what are your plans for Japan, once it is free?" he was subtle, but Kaguya was not fooled by the change in subject. But he was Zero, and she was not quite sure she wanted to find out why C.C was gone. "Well, it will become part of the Federations as the United States of Japan, as stated prior. I am unsure whether the shadow of the prime minister will befall the new government, though. It would be safer to instate a president, along with the Government Diet."_

_Zero was playing with his gloves, legs crossed and laid back on the couch, "If you ask me, I think that Japan would do fine with an Empress. With the return of the house of the__Tennō__, the Japanese will easily unite under the flag of democracy."_

"_The people have the stigma of the betrayal of their rulers, Zero-sama. If anything they shall repudiate the name of Sumeragi, like they do the name of Kirihara and Kururugi."_

"_The proud Japanese will not, if the ruling Empress marries the man that liberated them." Her shining eyes stared at the mask unbelievingly, for once not wanting to believe in his words. "Are you serious?"_

"_Have I ever deceived you, Kaguya-hime?" He stood now, taking her hand in his to help her up. "I promised you, when we met, to be your face Zero-sama. I have done everything for you and my country. If I need to be an Empress, then I would do it for you."_

"_When this battle is over, "he bowed to her, "I promise you the mask will be off, only for you. And then, no more deceits."_

_She wanted to say that if he had deceived, then she was sure it had been out of necessity, but instead just glomped him and they both fell to the ground. It was one of the few times when she had heard him laugh freely. _

oOo

The Forbidden City was gorgeous, luxury and beauty all around, but she had to agree with the Tianzi, it was just a golden birdcage. They were treated well, as the Empress request, but she would notice the cold shoulder of the Eunuch Generals.

Never mind them; they were just tools to get Japan back. All but the Tianzi and her knight. That child was just too sweet, and Kaguya couldn't help but feel protective of her. Within a month's time, she knew just how precarious the situation was for her, and for them all. She did not doubt the Generals would and could sell them out if a better offer came around.

She would often tell her tales of the outside, some of the Japanese folk tales and also those of knights in shining armor. Calligraphy was not fun, and with the Tianzi she would go and play hide-and-seek (she knew now of games, which she thought it to be ironic), and whenever she could, she tried to make her lessons fun.

She did not want that girl to grow up feeling all alone.

oOo

"_Oi, Kaguya!" the boy called, his imperative voice booming all around the temple. She just hid and he would look until he found her. Her miko dress was all muddled, and her face dirty with the streaks of tears. Suzaku kneeled to look at her, his eyes turning to worry at her state, "Kaguya?"_

"_I just wanted her to taste the miso soup, I wanted to help," she sniffed as more tears dropped down. He stood, his face hard and voice menacing, "where is he?"_

_Sniff, "I don't know, in the village maybe, I saw him," sniff, "leave the temple."Helping her up, he brushed the tears away from her face harshly, "Go and wash yourself, and I'll make sure that foreigner gets what he deserves for pushing a girl."_

"_He wouldn't eat my soup," and that was really what hurt the most. "Don't worry, I will always protect you."_

_Smiling, she nodded and headed off to the house complex. She still left some clean girl clothes in that shack where they slept before they returned._

oOo

He looked rather handsome in his knight uniform. His face frowning, just as she remembered; but the spark that she knew was long gone. She was so happy to see him after so long, and even more when Zero-sama challenged the Prime Minister and offered him as a present to her. She knew Zero-sama could not lose at chess.

Later that evening, she would try and speak with him, but he always avoided her, always looked for something to keep him occupied. But she tried and tried, because she saw the sparkle for a fleeting moment when they met. They were the only ones left of the Six families, afterall.

"Suzaku-kun" she had trapped him in a balcony with a plate of takoyaki, "how have you been?"

"Ah, Kaguya don't walk up on me like that. My nerves are on edge as of late," she figured he was lying through his teeth, since when could people sneak up on Kururugi Suzaku? "Well, I have to if I want to even attempt to talk to you."

"Oh, sorry about that" he sounded like he actually was, but she brushed him off. "I just did not expect to see you here, with none other than Zero."

"Feeling betrayed, cousin dear? That I am with the man that killed your Princess?" He recoiled back, wounded by her assertion, but quickly pushed it back and now the Knight of Six was talking to her, "If Schneizel-denka can be in the presence of that murderer, then I see no reason to be affected by him." She took a ball of takoyaki, munching slowly but her eyes cold to him, now, "You see, he is my fiancée. I am the face of Japan, and he is our savior, the man that can create miracles. I would have not believed once upon a time that you would betray us for Britannia."

"Zero is the traitor here, Kaguya, I have always been working for the same goal: to change the world by the rules, the right way." He looked away from those knowing eyes, though.

"Interesting, you see, Zero-sama is the one that wears the mask, but you are the one that is truly wearing one. But this war shall not be won by playing things safe, and the whole world needs to change. This is the will of the Gods, Suzaku-kun, and that is why I truly pity your existence and your raison d'êtr."

Turning away from him, she placed the plate on a nearby table, "_They_ told me, once, that _he_ still hasn't forgiven you for what happened. I don't think he ever will, but I, at least have."

She walked away, leaving the knight to deal with the ghost of his past.

oOo

_She cried silently, while the plane neared Tokyo. She did not admit the tears that were falling, nor the fact that she was crushed. But Tianzi knew her friend better than even she thought, and could not find the words to make her feel better. It was always the other way around, and she, for once, wanted to make the difference._

"_I mean, I was just bothering him, it was never anything serious."_

Then why are you crying?

"_You know, Tianzi, he would have wanted to take advantage of everything, if he were here. I shall make Britannia pay for this."_

But what do You want?

"_I shall lead the troops if I have to. Not for nothing am I the Goddess of Victory."_

The Gods are self-suficient. The Gods are lonely, no one can understand them.

_But Tianzi did not voice her thoughts, because the Daughter of Heaven that ruled all the land could not possibly console a Goddess. _

oOo

It was not that she hated Suzaku. It wasn't even the fact that he was loud, obnoxious and rude what bothered her, but that she could never quite know what he was thinking. She knew how he reacted and she knew what he was capable of, but his erratic actions always confused her. She was accustomed to reading people like she read books, even when she was young. She knew Kururugi Genbu was never going to surrender, and she knew the only one that somehow showed some care for her was Kirihara. She could figure out the intentions of men and the ambitions of women; that was her gift.

But Kururugi Suzaku was always the only one person she never quite understood. Not even Zero had managed that.

He would yell at those children, but then he would become friends with them. He would be the proud son of the Prime Minister of Japan and then become soldier under the flag of the Britannia. He would betray the Hope of Japan to become a Knight for his Emperor Charles Di Britannia.

The man betrayed by the Empire for alleged crime against the Crown, the assassination of a prince, and that would return to his prosecutors once free. The man who could not forgive the life of his once savior and would deliver it back to those who were chasing him.

It wasn't until the blood of the 99th Emperor of Britannia stained his own sword, in the hands of Zero, that Kaguya would understand her own cousin.

The White Shinigami. The God of Death.

oOo

"_As hostages of Britannia and the representatives of the world, you are all expected to cooperate with the Holy Emperor, unless you want to be gunned to death. Am I clear?" Jeremiah Gottwald walked confidently around the room, glaring at the hostages. Kaguya held Tianzi close to her, and once he passed by her, she would look up defiantly, "I demand to speak with the Emperor."_

_Jeremiah turned to her, "I believe Sumeragi-san has quite forgotten her situation."_

"_Not likely, Jeremiah-kyou, but as the Supreme Council Chairwoman of the U.F.N, I represent all of those trapped here. If anything, the Emperor should have just me here. Let them all go."_

"_You are over-stepping your grounds, Chairwoman, and you are safe because you are the only one here my master really needs and the only one he ordered not to shoot." He laughed confidently, and motioned to someone at the door. _

"_It is an order, Jeremiah Gottwald, take me to the Emperor." He didn't even turn, this time, "I serve none other but my master Lelouch."_

_He spoke to the woman dressed as a maid at the entrance, placing a hand in her shoulder and whispering something to her ear. The woman nodded and then stared at her intently. She met stare with stare until Jeremiah was gone. _

_Tianzi was scared, and more than one man passed out from stress or lack of food and drink. But every now and then, the maid would bring them both water with honey and some bread. _

oOo

She stared, shocked, at the image of him –them– on the worldwide broadcast. Her mind reeled, but she could not come up with a plausible explanation for this.

"Suzaku…Lelouch?"

It was Kallen that explained to her the truth. But it didn't matter that Lelouch was Zero, nor that he had used them for his convenience, as Ougi said. It didn't even matter all those atrocities they claimed on him, because they had blindly trusted a masked man. A man that finds himself hiding from the world is obviously not a saint.

What mattered was that she was hurt. She was hurt, betrayed and _used, _yet again. By those two, one who had promised no more deception and from other who had promised to protect her. And the betrayal was not that Lelouch would leave his Knights and Japan nor that Suzaku betrayed her trust after she had forgiven him.

No, the betrayal was that they could not, or rather would not, ask her help; that they would not even consider her as an ally. She used to think those two men knew her better than anyone else.

But she had always been alone.

oOo

"_Well, there you are!"_

_Panting heavily, the boy almost tripped on the soft grass around them. Kaguya had managed to take the little blind girl away from the boys, and somehow, had taken her to a secluded spot behind the shrine that Suzaku did not know and that Lelouch would have avoided. _

_Frowning, Lelouch moved to take his sister's chair, "don't ever do that again!" Kaguya laughed out loud as Nunnally simply continued making flower crowns, "Nee, onii-sama I was just telling Kaguya-chan of all the games we used to play back home." Lelouch did not know what bothered him more, the fact that Nunnally had been taken away from his sight, that she was freely telling this things to someone else, or the actual fact that she was talking about it at all. _

"_The little bird needs freedom every now and then, cage it up and she will die," Kaguya said as she continued her own crown. "If you haven't noticed, the cage is still a cage, even if it is golden or big. It does not matter either way."_

"_Of course it does!" she stood hastily, almost destroying her own labor, "even if the bird is trapped, a pretty cage would at least make her feel better. It is afterall, her home."_

"_Where is the bird?" Nunnally asked aloud, but neither paid much attention. _

"_Home," he replied disdainfully, "a bird has no home, it is free. A bird does not need a home when he can easily gather food and find a place to rest." He picked up his sister and sat her in her chair, "it is late already, Nunnally, almost time for dinner."_

"_Oh, but I am drowsy and not hungry," she rubbed her eyes, and the mere motion made him look away, pained, "thank you, onii-sama. Kaguya-chan, I'll tell you more about games tomorrow, and I'll make sure both Suzaku-kun and onii-sama play with us, rather than being annoying." The girls both giggled and Lelouch rolled his eyes, "Ja ne, Kaguya-chan!"_

_As they started walking away, Kaguya felt a sudden panic, for a mere second, "Wait!"_

_Lelouch turned and Nunnally gasped, "of course! The crowns!" Kaguya placed hers on the boy's head and laughed merrily, "she let me do yours today." Kneeling to the chair, Nunnally placed her own crown on Kaguya's head. Her hands glided gently across the Japanese girl's face, trying to memorize her face, "you are real pretty, you know?" Kaguya blushed, odd at receiving such compliment from other than grownups and simply said, "thank you."_

_Now crowned, she stood and twirled on her feet, "well, how do I look?" His face screwed up, annoyed, "why do girls like to hear they are pretty, every single time one sees them?" Both girls giggled again, but Kaguya was the one to take advantage of the situation, "well, it is a boy's duty to tell girls they look pretty all the time, especially when they think so to be true."_

_He glared, his cheeks red, but glared nonetheless, "whatever." _

"_I do think you are really cute, what with the crown and everything. And it matches mine!" Kaguya added, grabbing him by his arm. "Besides, it is onii-sama's favorite flower," Nunnally raised her arm, to add emotion to the statement, "forget-me-nots!"_

"_Really?" She looked at him smugly, "I thought he said…"_

"_Let's go already, Nunnally" Lelouch walked hastily away, letting go of her arm in the process. Kaguya let him walk for a few moments before shouting, "Are we going to play later, or not?"_

_Nunnally instantly perked up, "play?" Lelouch did not turn, and walked faster, "Nunnally, it is getting late for us here."_

"_So?" her melodious voice was heard, teasing from behind them. _

_He almost snarled the words, "of course!"_

_She smiled at her victory, but never did quite get to play with them all the next day. Japan had lost the war. _

oOo

"As prisoners under his Royal Majesty, you have the right to remain quiet. For the acts of terrorism, and treason against the crown, in some cases," Jeremiah glared at them all, "you shall receive capital punishment. However, his lenient Majesty will have a hearing with you all prior, and if you decide to accept your fate, he shall spare your life and simply sentence you to life-long prison." The roar from the voices of the Black Knights resounded all around the prison, from all the different cells. They all revolted, especially the higher ups, who all knew the truth.

"Jeremiah Gottwald," from the strains of her suit, Kaguya moved to the edge of the prison cell, "you will let this happen to your companions, to me? You shall follow that madman to Hell?"

"Hell has yet to hold us back, Sumeragi-san, and we have both been there already," the man snorted, but opened her cage, "stand and walk, you are to be taken elsewhere with the Tianzi."

Xingke jumped from where he sat and yelled, but could do nothing for them both as they stood, in another cell, and where taken away from his sight. Kallen screamed obscenities at Britannia and the officer enforcing its law and Tamaki just complained about the unfairness of it all. C.C would only watch from a corner, unseen by everyone and remembered by them all, for once.

"Crazy, foolish Emperor," Kaguya muttered to herself, "This is not the will of the Gods."

"What was that, Sumeragi-san?" Jeremiah mocked her in tone, as they exited the lower floors of the prison, "what was that saying of yours? Ah, of course!" He now motioned with his hand as he opened a bolted steel door, "crazy like a fox!"

His laughter rang throughout the entire hall, and for a moment, she thought it was forced, but then he opened the door. A lavish room in comparison to the rest of Britannia's empty prison cells stood after it, and he motioned as he bowed mockingly, "princesses, please enjoy your stay."

Kaguya could not move and Tianzi would not move without her, "This is a cruel joke, be sure to tell your Emperor."

"Of course, my lady, he dearly enjoys irony more than anything." He locked the steel door behind him, but that did not drown his now hideous laughter.

oOo

"_The treacherous knight, Kururugi Suzaku, has been defeated. Won't you plead for your life?" her bitter smile was the only emotion on her face, "for his sake?" Those words had pained her for a long time now. But she had managed a mask of her own, now. _

"_Kaguya, you didn't know of Lelouch's face until recently," C.C said simply and condescending._

"_And what of that?"_

"_And yet, you were able to understand one part of his true nature. You are such a gentle person," her sad smile was reminiscing of something that once had been. Surprised, she hesitated for a few second, but an explosion from up in the skies returned her the resolve to continue, "Soldiers, take the hostage by force, if necessary."_

_It turned out unnecessary, as C.C calmly followed and let herself be caught. Kaguya took her personally to her now holding cell and C.C entered without a qualm. "I would have wished for things to not escalate this far," Kaguya said as she closed the door. "You are not like her."_

_Kaguya halted mid-step and half turned, "You are not like the Empress. Marianne gave her heart and soul away to the man she loved, gave away her humanity to become Empress. You," now she leaned against the bars and reached for the other's face, "gave all you could to Zero, but your heart is yours. Your own self, pride and honor is still yours after all the hardships."_

"_I never compared myself to that woman."_

"_No, but others certainly did. Even I did once," C.C chuckled and Kaguya backed away from her touch, "She was kind, once, before the world shook her and transformed her into a knight. Don't let the world of men win the war against your heart."_

_Two streaks of tears now stained her face, but she did not move to clean herself, "Why are you so protective?" Those knowing amber eyes looked pained, for once, "I guess that is what I do, even now, I had forgotten. You two really are cousins," Kaguya flinched at the remark but C.C did not stop, "The Emperor's Mirror, Sword and Shield, it is almost poetic, you know."_

_C.C seemed to have forgotten she was there for a second as she rambled, "The Shield has done its job, the Sword is now broken, but the Mirror has not yet finished its role. But as the Mirror, she shall reflect the plan as it is supposed to."_

_A shiver went down Kaguya's spine and her own throat closed up. "I will never help that Demon Emperor, I would rather die."_

_C.C's eyes turned back to the now, as she blinked, "perhaps that is what he wants."_

"_You are as mad as he is."_

"_Isn't that my line, Kaguya? This is what time does to the mind. As a goddess, you should know better than anyone how immortality and power can drive the sanest human to insanity." To make the point, a sinister laugh followed the statement, "but loss works just as well."_

_Kaguya could not – would not– listen to such dreadful words and practically ran away from the holding cells. It would not matter at all, as in just a few hours, the army of the Emperor had taken the Black Knights as prisoners of Britannia._

oOo

He was waiting for her already when she entered the room. Zero stood in the middle of the room, hand on his hip, waiting. She looked up to the blood-stained mask, tears now dry on her face, and he simple extended his left hand to her, "_Kaguya-hime._"

And Zero, this one, sounded exactly like _him. _His hand motions, pose and even the way he walked up to her were perfect. He took her hand in his and bowed, "I am so relieved to see you unharmed."

Quickly, she took her hand back, "liar." Zero simply stood there, hand clutching his chest, "you wound me, _Kaguya-hime_."

"Stop saying that! Stop calling me that! Just stop, ok?" She pushed him back, but when once she could have moved him, now he wouldn't even move an inch, "I hate you. You deceived me several times, you left me alone and you _killed him!" _She pushed again, and again, and her fisted hands started to hit his toned chest, and he was perfect Zero but not, "you killed him! You killed him!!"

He would calmly reply, steady voice, "Emperor Lelouch was enemy of freedom, he was the enemy of the world," but he did not stop her. "He imprisoned you; he hurt _you _and many more. He stood against everything you and I have worked for so long and I could not let everything we have accomplished go to waste."

And he dared to continue this charade with her? How much more could he insult her?

"I hate you and I cannot –will not– forgive you for this. You killed the man I loved, _Zero. _There's nothing more you can take away from me."

"Yet, we are engaged, aren't we? Japan expects the line of the _Tennō _to be restored." His voice, oh how she hated the way he said that and how he expected everything to turn out as he wanted it to, "I have given Japan everything. The house of the _Tennō _shall not be muddied with your blood anymore, Zero."

"Then, I guess you are now free, _Kaguya-hime_."

Free. How long had it been…?

"Free to do whatever you desire. This new world shall be created the way we want it to be, and if this is your choice, then so be it."

It hurt to know her wish had been granted, finally. It hurt to know that now she could do whatever she wanted, yet she could not be with the one she loved. It hurt to love this Zero, because she still did, despite everything.

"I guess this is good-bye, then. I hope your life is long and prosper."

_Yet nothing more._

"Sayonara, Kaguya."

He bowed to her, but she just turned around without a word. She had paid him more attention than he deserved; she would not waste herself with that man again.

_Sayonara, Suzaku._

oOo

_The emperor received them prisoners. The emperor gave sentence of death to each one of them who rebelled in the audience. He even called them one by one to stand before him and condemn them._

"_Sumeragi Kaguya, for supporting acts of terrorism, how do you plead yourself?"_

"_Guilty"_

"_For making the U.F.N stand against the Holy Empire, how do you plead yourself?"_

"_Guilty"_

"_Do you accept, then, the err of your ways?"_

"_Never"_

_His fine eyebrow was raised skeptically, "you realize that this implies you are ready to accept capital punishment?"_

"_Do your worse, Demon Emperor."_

_The Emperor stood from his throne, white robe shuffling as he approached the stand where she had been set on. Glancing her from head to toe, he simply shrugged, "I thought you were smart."_

"_I thought you were kind," she rebuked, and his sinister smirk made an appearance, "we all wear masks, don't we? The refined Sumeragi Kaguya used to be an accommodated Eleven, had an acting part in the Britannian Society, yet she supported terrorism."_

"_I was just doing what was right. You, on the other hand…"_

"_Everything in this world is subjective. What I care to be right might not fit into the standards of men. Besides, this has always been war."_

"_Then everything is fair, isn't it?"_

"_Indeed," his pale hand rose and took her chin, moving her face to look right at him, "now let's play this last game of ours."_

_Her eyes watered, but she did not allow them tears to fall, he would not see her break down, "I love you," she whispered, "even now."_

"_I know," cold, calculating._

"_This is not the will of the Gods," louder now, the transcriber could write it down._

"_I know that too," and he watched how the words affected her. She had broken down._

"_No…you can't," the tears finally fell and she struggled with the strains of the suit, "No! How could you!? Such a betrayal, it's blasphemous!!" Kaguya, now in her frenzy, tore the arms of the suit that had her pinned and from the movement, she fell loudly. Lelouch just stared down at her, bitter to everything and her, "I have let them live, they shall do as I say. I am more powerful than God himself. Jeremiah, take her away."_

_Grabbing by the arms, Jeremiah pinned her to his chest, "Sumeragi Kaguya-hime, for being the last descendant of the Six Families and supporting acts of terrorism, I, Lelouch Vi Britannia as the 99__th__ Emperor of the Holy Empire, condemn you to death by gundown."_

"_It is not death I fear, Emperor, for I shall never be lonely. Yet, I almost pity your cursed existence. Almost."_

"_Indeed, who would ever want to be King?" he said in a mocking tone, glancing backwards to the throne and his knight._

_She could hear the mad laugh of the Knight of Zero as she was taken away. _

oOo

"I said I shall not receive visitors."

Tianzi was worried and now that she had been denied to see her friend, her concern was turned into fear. Kaguya had come back to Japan and was received as an ambassador of the U.F.N, yet she had denied the title of Supreme Chairwoman. She would help them, of course, but she would not come out of the room she had been given and would only let servants bring her food. She would let no one inside, and Tianzi had been told that by the weeks, she had requested the cleaning supplies necessary. She had secluded herself in that room, away from human contact, and only with a laptop to work.

But now that she had managed to come from China, Tianzi did not believe that Kaguya would not want to see her. Ougi told her she had been like that for months, now.

"But, it is me, Tianzi."

The door did not budge.

A week passed before Tianzi called for outside help. An envoy from the Holy Empress arrived within two days with a package and a letter. In a matter of hours, Kaguya was already outside the room that had hidden her for months and started bossing people around. When Tianzi asked the special envoy, Shinozaki Sayoko, what the package contained, the woman simply smiled, "a mirror."

oOo

"_Kaguya-sama"_

_She was tired, crushed and simply did not have it in her to refuse listening to his numbing words. "Yes?" she wanted nothing more than just stop. Everything should just stop._

"_My lady, forgive me for any pain my acts may have caused."_

_She really didn't care anymore._

"_But my master Lelouch commanded, and I followed. Still, I made my best to make you comfortable. I went out of my way to make things easier for you. I could not simply let you rot with the rest of the knights."_

_So, he didn't even order that? Lelouch did not take any considerations on her, afterall. _

"_I have saved his body, and Nunnally-sama from the crowd, and taken them to a secluded area. If it is your desire, I shall take you to see him."_

_Kaguya just stared at him, "see him," she repeated but sounded far away. She did not want to see him, see that poor girl like that, did not want anything anymore. But Jeremiah still stood there, expecting, "no, I…can't. I already mourned his death…twice."_

"_Twice?" he wondered, but she simply shook her head, "it has no consequence."_

"_Then just call upon me, my Lady, if you so desire anything." He bowed to her, but she placed her hand on his shoulder, "stop that."_

"_My master may be dead, hime-sama, but my loyalty to you remains."_

"_Please stop, it does not matter anymore."_

"_My loyalty is all I have left, Kaguya-hime, you cannot ask me to stop. I have done everything for it, so you cannot ask of my giving it up." _

"_A raison d'êtr, that is the difference," she mused, "a reason to move forward. Jeremiah-kyou, I only ask of you one last favor."_

"_Last?!"_

"_Take me to Zero. Take me to the man who killed the Emperor."_

_And proud Jeremiah Gottwald, who would have once wished for the title of Knight of One and would gladly give his life for his Master and everything he cherished, led the rightful heir of Amaterasu to the hero of the world and the man he used to think he despised the most._

_Jeremiah was not one much for metaphors or ironies, but that day he couldn't help but notice how the world seemed resolved in the future. He couldn't help but notice those who had been close to Lelouch-sama and how they __**had **__to move forward, almost unwillingly. If anything, that was the only choice his master took away from them. _

_Still, that day, Jeremiah decided on the course of his own future. He didn't see the irony in there, though. Guildford was too much of a nice guy to point it out. _

oOo

The gardens at the Governor's Palace where brimming with morning dew and the warm february breeze promised an early spring already. She was sitting in a white, elegant, but small table, strangely gloved hands roving the delicate tea set. Everything had to be perfect.

Below, a ceremony between the United Federation of Nations and Britannia was taking place, the final settlement for peace to be signed upon the day. She did not remember the date the Emperor had died, back then it seemed non-important. Days had been blurry afterwards, and dates were meaningless. Nonchalantly, she mused that it had been more than 6 months since then.

It had become a habit of her, musing about things and losing herself in mental ramblings, she had noticed. She had not noticed how her hands had taken to wearing gloves to play with them, or how many new clothes she had gotten over the weeks after her confinement. She now enjoyed wearing long capes and beautiful Britannian dresses. Her old elegant robes had been stored in boxes one by one, until only one of them remained in her closet. That one was special, so she just couldn't part with it.

Hair that used to be long was no more, and she wore it short by the shoulders when it was not tied in a bun. Her smile came to her easily, yet she was rarely happy. She enjoyed spending time with Ougi-san and Kallen-kun, and Villeta-san had become an excellent shopping partner. Tianzi came every few weeks and they both enjoyed the gardens at the Palace.

Yet the Black Knights came to notice her sunny disposition had become more demure and aloof, even if she seemed to care more for them than she used back during the rebellion. Some whispered about the ring she wore above her gloves, which she seemed never to take off. Others said that Zero had broken her heart and that had left her for the Empress of Britannia.

Kallen had quickly shushed them whenever the subject came up, instead turning the topic to the latest assignments. But she always heard things, rumors, and sometimes worry from them. Yet she had more important things to do than correct them or make them know she was fine.

She did not notice when the Empress of Britannia arrived at the garden until they were facing each other.

"Kaguya-sama"

"Nunnally-chan"

And even both of them were the same age, the suffixes seemed more than appropriate. Nunnally moved to the table and Kaguya took the teapot and started serving the tea. It was the first time Nunnally had seen Kaguya.

Kaguya took a sip of tea as the Empress stared fixedly at her. Nunnally continued staring for a few minutes, and she was starting to get uncomfortable. She didn't think the girl would have such a strong gaze, "You don't look the same."

"Well, not as I expected you looked like. Onii-sama used to describe you, back then. He always made you sound as pretty as Euphie-neesama."

Kaguya did not know whether to take that as a compliment or not, "really?"

"But Euphie-neesama did not have such sad eyes," Nunnally moved her hand and softly placed it above her cheek, "and her smile was never fixed like this."

The contact had made her shrug involuntarily; the hand seemed too warm against her, even if the weather was fine. "I have moved on, we both have," Kaguya motioned back to her, "It just seems some of us have had it better than others."

"Huh," Nunnally took a spoon of sugar, and stirred her tea, "You really loved him." She said it like it was the easiest thing in the world, and for just one second everything came back to her. A second, nonetheless, "We were engaged."

"Oh," Nunnally was lost at words, but then again, it had somehow become hard to talk to Kaguya, "so that ring…?"

"Oh, this is just the ring that they gave me when I became the Supreme Council Chairwoman of the U.F.N. They give one to each Chairman, Ougi can show you. But," now Kaguya had starting playing with it, "when Lelouch took over the U.F.N. by force, he also took this from me. Jeremiah gave it back to me, after we were released."

Nunnally's smile was sad as she took the gloved hand in hers, "I was surprised to hear you appointed Kaname Ougi as the Prime Minister of the United States of Japan. Even more when you stepped down as the Council Chairwoman."

"Everyone expected me to step up, it seems," Kaguya chuckled, "but I feel I cannot give Japan my best anymore, you know?"

"And what will you do now?"

"You are the only one who has asked me that," she laughed, motioning with her hand backwards. Someone brought in some pastries, "I can do anything, really."

"I see," Nunnally smiled her own sweet smile, as she pushed her chair backwards, "well, I'm glad you are doing better now, Kaguya-chan. Please remember to write every now and then, ok?"

Schneizel came out of somewhere and took the Empress's chair to lead her back to the conference, "Nunnally-sama, everything is ready for you."

"Thank you, Schneizel onii-sama," Nunnally bowed in her chair to Kaguya, "Please say hi to C.C. for me, when you see her."

"How..?" Kaguya was about to ask, but Schneizel answered in her stead, "Last we heard, she was somewhere near the Alps, but you must know that already."

"Don't worry, Kaguya-sama, as off last week, all surveillance over C.C. has been removed. Apologize in my behalf for the inconvenience it may have caused, but we had to prove to Court that she was no longer a threat."

"From all the research we salvaged from the Geass Cult, many thought it a high possibility that Lelouch might have still been alive," Schneizel motioned with his hand unimportantly, "as if the body had not been thoroughly scrutinized."

"Yes," Nunnally added sadly, "Jeremiah-kyou made sure of it."

"I trust you, Nunnally-chan, to tell the truth," Kaguya sighed, pained, "and I – we– will remember to write."

"Sayonara, Kaguya-sama." Schneizel made a respectful nod, before leading the Empress away.

"Sayonara."

Kaguya sat quietly, drinking her tea and enjoying the scenery. The breeze was kind to her, and she had quite forgotten how to feel warm. Well, she had to forget, afterall.

A few minutes later, she took her purse from the table and stood. Taking out a cellphone from it, she dialed a number by memory, a smirk on her face, "Everything went smoothly, just as planned."

"Indeed," the voice was different, but the tone was the same she had known, "I am glad, thank you."

"Haha, this was nothing, I shall meet Clarisse at the airport. We'll meet soon enough."

"Finally," he said, "it's been so long."

"Yes," she really had to agree there, "finally."

* * *

_  
There are SEVERAL hidden references throughout the story, mostly musical, and some literary, and I feel the need to explain some:  
- Mirror, sword and shield= this one is obvious, we all saw the "Viva la Vida" Geass video T_T The mirror also aludes to something else, but I hope you guys can figure it out XD  
- You don't look the same = Jet song, that line just sounded so good LOL  
- "Indeed, who would ever want to be King?" = still Viva la Vida  
- The title, nuff said.  
- Clarise = actually from Milady de Winter, the famous antagonist from the "Three Musketeers" When I saw CC's flashback for the first time, Milady instantly came to mind hehe. Arbitrarily chosen by Lelouch and Kaguya, if it helps you make some sense into it._

_And I, somehow, snuck in every character that I love in Geass. If I could have, Cornelia would have been there too. I really couldn't work in Kallen with Kaguya, as much as I tried, they never really interact, unlike her an CC who have this little looks every now and then.  
Also, aren't both Jeremiah and Sayoko sneaky as always?? XDD _

I need to say this: the shots are updated whenever. It's not that I am following a sequence or anything. When inspiration (and a challenge) hit, they come up. So, there may be another shot next month, or there may not be a shot until february, ok?


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